25 May 1946 from League of Nations mandate under British administration

Constitution:

8 January 1952

Legal system:

based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts
in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

National holiday:

Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

Political parties and leaders:

approximately 24 parties have been formed since the National Charter, but
the number fluctuates; after the 1989 parliamentary elections, King Hussein
promised to allow the formation of political parties; a national charter
that sets forth the ground rules for democracy in Jordan - including the
creation of political parties - was approved in principle by the special
National Conference on 9 June 1991.

Suffrage:

20 years of age; universal

Elections:

House of Representatives:

last held November 1993

Executive branch:

monarch

prime minister

deputy prime minister

Cabinet

Legislative branch:

Bicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-'Umma) consists of an upper house or
House of Notables (Majlis al-A'ayan) and a lower house or House of
Representatives (Majlis al-Nuwaab).

Judicial branch:

Court of Cassation

Chief of State:

King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal Al Hashemi (since 11 August 1952)

Head of Government:

Flag:

Three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green with a red
isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a small white
seven-pointed star; the seven points on the star represent the seven
fundamental laws of the Koran

Jordan benefited from increased Arab aid during the oil boom of the late
1970s and early 1980s, when its annual GNP growth averaged more than 10%. In
the remainder of the 1980s, however, reductions in both Arab aid and worker
remittances slowed economic growth to an average of roughly 2% per year.
Imports - mainly oil, capital goods, consumer durables, and food - have been
outstripping exports, with the difference covered by aid, remittances, and
borrowing. In mid-1989, the Jordanian Government began debt-rescheduling
negotiations and agreed to implement an IMF program designed to gradually
reduce the budget deficit and implement badly needed structural reforms. The
Persian Gulf crisis that began in August 1990, however, aggravated Jordan's
already serious economic problems, forcing the government to shelve the IMF
program, stop most debt payments, and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid
from Gulf Arab states and worker remittances have plunged, and refugees have
flooded the country, straining government resources. Economic recovery is
unlikely without substantial foreign aid, debt relief, and economic reform.